


Sunrise

by Surya_Rolt



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: #Merrin is bi and no one can stop it, (if you squint at it), (their ship name is the cutest thing), F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jedi as Found Family (Star Wars), Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Romance, merrical - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27589460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Surya_Rolt/pseuds/Surya_Rolt
Summary: After escaping the empire, Cal and the Mantis Crew are ready to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet on the now lonely little planet of Bogano. However, after a family games night, a certain night-sister sneaks out to greet the foreignly blue evening sky...(It's kind of romantic but can also be read as a squishy friends thing - also, I just love found family stuff ya'll, let them have fun and chill out)
Relationships: Cal Kestis & Merrin, Cal Kestis & The Mantis Crew, Cal Kestis/Merrin, Cere Junda & Cal Kestis
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	Sunrise

Cal’s stomach backflipped once more as he rolled on his side. The bed sheets had been on the floor for a while and he internally groaned at his inability to sleep. He didn’t think it had anything to do with Greez’s cooking (which for the first time in a while, was superb); Just the new circumstances.

Travelling around for so long, Cal had become accustomed to sporadic bouts of sleep with the whirring hum of the engine easing his mind. Since they had landed on Bogano however, everything was still and there was a thick silence grasping the ship. This sudden peace left Cal’s mind running wild, desperately trying to fill up the empty space. They could afford the luxury of sleeping in time with the planet’s cycle and yet here he was, unable to even close his eyes.

Before landing of course, Cere had insisted they do a planet-wide communications scan to check for any dregs of the empire. Surprisingly enough, they were gone.

“ _The empire must have turn and run after you chased them out,_ ” she said. “ _That and the only other person who knew the location was..._ ” her words fell away. Trilla’s name hung in the air, no one daring to speak it. Her padawan’s fate had stung Cere more than first time she lost her. He remembered Trilla’s hand going to reach out for her; the inkling of forgiveness she had supplied her old Master. Only to have it all struck down by that shadow of a monster.

Greez interrupted the silence with a clap of his top two hands from the cockpit.

“ _Tell ya what: soon as we land, I’ll cook us up a feast. We’ll park her somewhere special so we can see the sights, celebrate the journey, you know?_ ” He could sense the need to move on more than anyone, even without the force.

“ _That sounds...wonderful Greez_ ,” Cere said softly.

“ _I agree,_ ” Merrin seconded, her accent smooth.

Cal sighed heavily, lingering on the memory. His little family had feasted and laughed, discussing Jedi and Dathomirian culture, learning poker games from Greez. Cheating at said poker games on occasion with a little supernatural help.

“ _Hey, witchcraft is not allowed at my table_!” Greez snapped jokingly, hoarding his cards closer to his chest.

“ _Oh... so he is_?” Merrin asked bluntly, pointing to the little droid floating behind him, suddenly flustered that it was now in the spotlight.

“ _What are you doing there? Are all of you cheating?_ ” He grumbled, shooing away BD1. Cal had to cover his smirk with his cards.

“ _I thought you said it was apart of the game..._ ” he muttered as Merrin gave him a wry chuckle.

“ _The poorest teaching method is to do as I say, not as I do,_ ” Cere said, using the force to pull out the extra cards hidden up Greez’s sleeves.

“ _And I believe I won_.” She finished, throwing down a somewhat disorganised hand and leaning back triumphantly.

“ _You might want to check that again, Cere_ ,” Cal piped up as Greez laughed so violently, he threw the rest of his cards in the air.

Cere looked puzzled, sifting through the cards on the table. Within a second, a green mist trickled off of them and back into Merrin’s hand. She gave Cere a vibrant green wink. True to her nature, Cere begun to laugh along with Greez, acknowledging she had been truly beaten. Merrin placed her cards on the table.

“ _Impressive - c’mon kid. Tell us you’ve got her_ ,” Greez said. BD had perched himself back on Cal’s shoulder, leaning in the see the cards. He shrugged and let the little droid have one last look.

“ _I dunno BD, you reckon we could win it_?” He asked.

BD1 made a range of excited beeps, swinging from one of Cal’s shoulders to the other. “ _Alright, I believe in you bud,_ ”

Cal slammed down his cards into the middle of the table. Both Merrin and Cal instantly looked up at Greez for the verdict. Greez stroked his chin in thought and after a long tense pause he relented.

“ _He’s got you beat, Nightsis_ ,”

Cal whooped, standing up to fist pump the air and rubbing the little droid’s head. Merrin sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

“ _I thought you Jedi were supposed to be humble_?”

“ _What? I’m cheering for BD - he did most of the work_ ,” Cal reasoned innocently. Cere shook her head, an exasperated smile across her lips.

“ _Oh. Well in that case_ ,” Merrin said, moving her attention to BD1. “ _You are a worthy adversary, little droid. Congratulations for your victory._ ” She gave him a funny pat on the head. He seemed to appreciate it all the same.

“ _Hey, where’s my congratulations_?” Cal asked, hands spread wide. 

She looked at him and tilted her head, before using the same hand to fluff his flame red hair. He shrunk away, giggling in protest, not so subtly delighted by the Nightsister’s attention. Her hand casually rested on his cheek for an instant, before slipping away to clear up the cards on the table. Cal felt his stomach bouncing up into his chest.

Greez quickly begun helping Merrin clear away the game as Cere locked eyes with Cal for a moment. His Jedi habits kicked in as he recognised the forbidden emotions. A spike of anxiety hit him as he waited for Cere’s judgement.

Her gaze was soft yet knowing. Something Cal hadn’t expected to see from her. She seemed like such a traditional stoic Jedi that he forgot about her brushes with the dark side and her unorthodox apprenticeship. _It’s about the struggle, Cal_ , he could almost hear her in his mind. _The dark side is what you allow it to be._ He understood what she was implying. That those emotions can lead to the dark side, but you get to decide whether they do or not. Even if you embrace them, you still have a choice in what path you will take.

Cal turned over again in his bed. He finally recognised what was going on with his stomach; the feeling in his gut. He could decide what kind of Jedi he wanted to be. This had been one of the best days of his life, even better than when he finished his first lightsaber or when he was chosen by Master Tapal as his Padawan. He knew that he wanted to be the kind of Jedi who had a family. He had found that family, and maybe something else entirely and it was starting to scare him.

The last thing he had remotely like a family was his friend Prauf. And that ended violently because of him. Even though he was terrified for those five years on Bracca, Prauf’s caring presence had gotten him through some of the toughest times. What would happen if he lost that again? Where would he end up, who would he become? Would he end up like Trilla, being tortured into believing she’d remain alone and betrayed forever?

The sound of the ship’s doors opening jumped Cal away from his spiralling thoughts. He stayed quiet, and let his senses reach out to feel for who it was. To his surprise, he found it was Merrin. The usual sound of her leather boots weren’t there so he assumed she was barefoot. He stayed in his bed, reasoning that if she left the ship entirely, that she might want some space.

But after a while, he could feel the changes in temperature and the spin of the planet speeding them towards dawn. He knew how hard it was to sleep for him even when he was used to travelling - he grew up with it. He couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for someone completely new to it.

With a final decision made, he swung his legs over the bed (and the powered down droid) and chucked on a shirt, walking out barefoot into to the chilled Bogano night.

They had parked the Mantis on the edge of the Zeffo temple at the highest point of the grassy islands. Mist curled around the ship and parted way for him as he walked across the boggy grass. His toes clawed at the earth beneath him, as he spotted their resident Nightsister sitting by the edge of the island. The dark blueish sky tinged her red robes grey as her white hair drifted free from its usual bun, flickering as it caught bits of starlight.

He couldn’t help but silently observe the moment, like he wasn’t there. It was as if he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her existence. The thing stopping him was freezing him to the spot on the ground. Cal noted that this feeling was probably the reason for the term “cold feet”.

“What is it, Cal Kestis?”

Cal’s whole body tensed up, aware of his actions being mistaken for lurking. Merrin turned to look at him, her blunt demeanour softened by her tired eyes.

“You’ve got a good grip on force sense, huh?” He said, ruffling his own hair trying to keep his hands busy.

“I heard your clunky footsteps,” she dead panned, her Dathomirian accent stronger than ever.

Cal’s breath caught in his throat for a second before he relaxed into a light chuckle. “Alright, I might need to work on that.”

“Indeed,” she smiled as he sat down crossed legged beside her. “I could teach you, if you want?”

“Teach me... your Magick?” Cal asked, surprised.

“Only if you feel comfortable. As a Jedi, you may disapprove of using the force in such a way,” she added turning away slightly.

“Yes... but only when it’s used for bad reasons. Either way, I’m sure it’s something we could figure out together?” He said.

She looked up again with a relaxed smile. “I’d like that.”

The two sat quietly again, appreciating one another’s company and the slowly dimming stars.

“So why did you come out here?” Cal asked, adding. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Merrin paused, examining Cal’s face before concluding, “Impressive force sense.”

“I heard you get up,” Cal smirked.

Merrin nodded with a light laugh. “Perhaps I too, need to work on that.” She took a deep breath, preparing her next words.

“...Greez described it as a sickness for home.”

“You’re homesick?” Cal probed.

Merrin shook her head thoughtfully.

“I do not think it is just that.” She squinted at the bluer sky.

“On Dathomir, day and night are merely an extension of one another. During the day, the sky is red and at night it is simply a darker red. When we were younger, Illyana would tell me stories about places where the skies would bloom colours. As a child, I could only imagine more shades of red and black. And yet...” Merrin caught herself leaning into the brisk blueness of the early morning sky.

“Here I am, where I least expected.”

Her melancholy was unmistakable as she echoed his own words. Her entire body leaned forward from the cliff, yearning to show her clan the wide blue sky; most of all her Illyana. Cal felt intrusive. The deep bond she had with Illyana eclipsed any he’d had with other such Jedi. The only thing he could compare it to was his blossoming friendship with her. However, he could understand her feelings to a point. _I am here where I least expected, where they are not..._

He struggled to find any words that would sum up or alleviate any of her feelings. Instead he opted to be brave and to be his own Jedi. He touched his pinky to her hand. She accepted it without looking back, turning over her palm up to interlock his fingers with her own. They sat like that as the sky begun to turn lighter shades of blue with tinges of yellow on the horizon.

Cal was struck with a thought.

“I rarely saw a sun when I was on Dathomir,” he said to her.

“The cloud cover is thick,” she said looking back to him puzzled. “We rarely ever see it.”

Cal grinned as an idea made its way into his heart. He stood up and looked around, guessing that they were on the wrong side of the Temple to see it.

“Cal Kestis, what are you doing?” Merrin asked.

Cal spotted the perfect climbing point and offered his hand to Merrin.

“Come with me and you’ll see what Illyana really meant.” He grinned.

Merrin shook her head, confused but took his hand anyway. He lead them to the side of the temple where fallen boulders acted as perfect footholds. Glancing at the sky, he realised that there wasn’t much time before it was over.

“Quick! Race you to the top!” He blurted, before using the force to propel himself to the next level.

“Wha-“ he briefly heard Merrin say before she disappeared in a swirl of green mist, reappearing just below him. Cal leapt up, leading the charge, the swift breeze chilling his face, the cool rock freezing his bare feet. He reached the very top and tapped down on the ground proclaiming “I win!” Before he noticed Merrin standing facing him with crossed arms. “Too slow.” She said “What was all this for anyway?”

He beamed with giddy satisfaction. “See for yourself,” he said pointing behind her. Merrin raised an eyebrow at him before turning around to be greeted by the rising suns of Bogano. They had just started to hit to edge of the horizon, casting a thousand hues of oranges, pinks, yellows and whites on the fading blue background.

They had parked the Mantis for the perfect view of the sunset that they didn’t get to see the night before. And now Cal got the privilege of showing Merrin her first Sunrise on a new planet.

Merrin’s eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them. Her usual calm had melted away into bewildered shock. Her mouth hung ajar and Cal couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face, his cheek muscles aching from the reflex.

“I- I never thought I just-“

She was properly speechless. Cal walked over to the edge of the temple closest to the sunrise and plopped down crossing his legs once again. He patted the space beside him looking back over at her.

Merrin, snapped out of the initial shock to teleport over to him, swinging her legs off the edge. Together they watched as the suns made their way up over the horizon.

“I know we can never get them back,” he said suddenly. Merrin looked at him as he continued staring at the sunrise, determination on his face. “I know we cant give them more experiences...more life... so we’ll just have to live it for them.”

“That sounds like a lot of life,” Merrin whispered.

“It will be. We’ll live it together. All of us.”

Cal turned to look Merrin in the eye, their hands just grazing each other.

“I...” Merrin started, then laughed it off, watching the suns finish their ascent.

“Thank you, Cal."

**Author's Note:**

> EPILOGUE:
> 
> They hopped back down the side of the temple, Merrin once again reaching the bottom first as Cal heaved, crouching to catch his breath. 
> 
> “After all this climbing, I’m gonna need a big breakfast,” Cal puffed. Merrin offered him her hand. He clasped it tightly, letting her yank him upwards. 
> 
> “If Greez isn’t up, we can make breakfast for everyone?” She suggested. 
> 
> Cal contemplated this, patting down his muddy feet halfway up the ship’s ramp. “Slight problem; I don’t cook. Do you?”
> 
> “That depends - do we have any Dathomirian meats?”
> 
> “No,”
> 
> “Dathomirian plants?”
> 
> “Nope,”
> 
> “Dathomirian -“
> 
> “Most likely not,” Cal interrupted, predicting where this conversation was headed.
> 
> “Then I have nothing,” she finished.
> 
> They both looked at each other for a moment before entering the ship, Bogano’s sunlight streaming into their cozy home. 
> 
> “We’re doing it anyway, right?” Cal asked. 
> 
> “Of course,” Merrin said. 
> 
> And off they went. 


End file.
